Each week, we search New York City for the most exciting and thought-provoking shows, screenings, and events. See them below. 

Through Tuesday, December 31

A view of “Angelica Hicks at Rockefeller Center.” Photo courtesy of Art Production Fund.

1. “Angelica Hicks at Rockefeller Center”

The Art Production Fund’s latest takeover of empty spaces at Rockefeller Center features illustrator Angelica Hicks. She has created a free and festive holiday map guiding tourists and locals around nearby sites, including the famous ice-skating rink, the 77-foot-tall Christmas tree, Radio City Music Hall, and the reborn FAO Schwarz toy store.

Location: Rockefeller Center, 45 Rockefeller Plaza
Price: Free
Time: Open daily, at all times

—Sarah Cascone

Through Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Hou de Sousa, Ziggy. Photo courtesy of the Flatiron Partnership and Van Alen Institute.

2. “Hou de Sousa: Ziggy” at the North Flatiron Public Plaza

The design studio Hou de Sousa is the winner of the sixth annual Flatiron Holiday Design Competition with Ziggy, a winding, colorful rebar structure threaded through with 27,000 feet of iridescent cord. “This porous wall will welcome folks arriving from all directions while ringing in the holiday season with a flourish of color and lights,” Hou de Sousa cofounder Josh de Sousa said in a statement.

Location: The North Flatiron Public Plaza at the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street
Price: Free
Time: Open daily, at all times

—Sarah Cascone

Through Friday, January 3, 2020

LAB at Rockwell Group’s “Luminaries” at the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. Photo courtesy of Arts Brookfield.

3. “Luminaries” at the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place

Every year, design firm LAB at Rockwell Group transforms Brookfield Place’s Winter Garden with a canopy of colored lights. Visitors can view hourly light shows, and also set the lights aglow by making wishes at one of three touch-activated stations. For each wish, Brookfield will donate $1 (for up to $25,000) to the nonprofit Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.

Location: Brookfield Place, Winter Garden, 230 Vesey Street
Price: Free
Time: Light shows on the hour, 8 a.m.–10 p.m.; wishing 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Through Sunday, January 5, 2020

Charles Dickens, 1867, Albumen cabinet card by J. Gurney & Son. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.

4. “A Dickens Christmas” at the New York Public Library

See annotated copies of Charles Dickens’s books, including A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, and The Cricket on the Hearth, as well as photographs, early editions, and other items relating to the Victorian author. Dickens is said to have performed his books in the voices of its various characters, including during a US tour between 1867 and 1868. The marked-up copies now on view at the New York Public Library reveal the prompts Dickens wrote to himself to guide the readings.

Location: The New York Public Library, 476 Fifth Avenue
Price: Free
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m.–4:45 p.m.; Monday, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m.; Tuesday–Wednesday, 10 a.m.–7:45 p.m.; Thursday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m.; closing 1 p.m. December 24; closed December 25

—Rachel Corbett

Christopher Schardt, Lyra. Photo courtesy of Hudson Yards.

5. “Shine On” at Hudson Yards

“Shine On” is a daily light show centered on Christopher Schardt’s installation Lyra, a series of five star-shaped sculptures. Set to a synchronized soundtrack of classical holiday music, the show’s 12,000 individually controllable LED lights will display a series of images programmed by the artist.

Location: Hudson Yards, between 10th and 12th Avenues from West 30th to West 34th Streets
Price: Free
Time: 5 p.m. daily

—Nan Stewart

An image illustrating Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Image courtesy of the Morgan Library & Museum.

6. “Charles Dickens and the Spirit of Christmas” at the Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan Library & Museum has once again dusted off the original manuscript of Charles Dickens’s iconic A Christmas Carol. This year, organizers have opened to the page where he first speaks the line “Bah! Humbug.”

Location: The Morgan Library and Museum, 225 Madison Avenue
Price: $22
Time: Monday–Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; Friday, 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; closing 4 p.m. December 24; closed December 25 and January 1

—Sarah Cascone

Through Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Christmas tree and Neapolitan Baroque crèche at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of Garrett Ziegler, via Flickr.

7. Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
One of New York’s most beautiful Christmas installations is the Met’s 20-foot-tall blue spruce, hung with Baroque angels from an ornate 18th-century Neapolitan Nativity scene. The tree is lit every day at 4:30 p.m.

Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue
Price: General admission, adults $25; seniors $17; students $12; children under 12 free
Time: Sunday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; closed December 25 and January 1

—Sarah Cascone

Through Sunday, January 12, 2020

This year’s Origami Holiday Tree is T-Rex-themed. Courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History.

8. Origami Holiday Tree at the American Museum of Natural History
For over 40 years, the American Museum of Natural History has celebrated the holiday season with its festive origami holiday tree, a fir tree decked out in 800 intricately folded little ornaments. The theme for this year’s 13-foot tree is T. rex and Friends. The king of dinosaurs has a special place in the museum’s history: the T. rex was first discovered, named, and exhibited to the public by the American Museum of Natural History. Here you can marvel at miniaturized versions of the most famous dinosaur and then check out the museum’s current exhibition, “T. rex: The Ultimate Predator” (on view through August 9, 2020). 

Location: American Museum of Natural History 200 Central Park West
Price: General Admission, $23; Students and Seniors, $18; Children (2–12) ,$13.
Time: Open daily, 10 a.m. 6 p.m.; closed December 25

—Katie White 

Through Sunday, January 26, 2020

New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show. Photo courtesy of the New York Botanical Garden.

9. “Holiday Train Show” at the New York Botanical Garden

Every holiday season, the New York Botanical Garden crafts a spectacular landscape for toy locomotives by recreating New York monuments, including the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. This year’s setup spotlights a delightful rendition of Central Park, complete with its own Belvedere Castle, in honor of the building’s recent renovation.

Location: The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard, the Bronx
Price: $18 to $30 (based on age) through January 3, and on weekends after; $10 to $23 (based on age) on weekdays after January 3; free entry for children under age two throughout the show’s run
Time: Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; open until 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 26 and Sunday, December 29; also open 10 a.m.–6 p.m. on Monday, December 30

—Tim Schneider

Through Saturday, January 12, 2020

Courtesy of The New York Hall of Science.

10. “GingerBread Lane” at the the New York Hall of Science

The New York Hall of Science holds a Guinness world record for hosting the largest gingerbread village ever made. Creator John Lovitch uses candy canes, jelly beans, and more to construct a fully edible masterpiece. Gingerbread-building workshops will take place at set times between December 27 and December 30 for an additional fee.

Location: New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th Street, Queens
Price: $13 children, $16 adults, workshops are an additional $15
Time: Monday–Friday, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.– 6 p.m.; contact museum for holiday closures

—Cristina Cruz

Staten Island Winter Lantern Festival. Photo courtesy of JMT Media/NYC Winter Lantern Festival.

11. “The Winter Lantern Festival” at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden

Now in its second year, this family-friendly whimsical world of light—there are over 1,000 colorful lanterns—invites visitors to enjoy eight acres of fantastic attractions, live cultural shows, and interactive exhibits.

Location: 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island
Price: $25 for adults; $17 for kids; $20 for students, seniors, and military and groups over 30 people
Time: Wednesday–Thursday, 5 p.m.–9:30 p.m.; Friday–Sunday and December 30 and 31, 5 p.m.–10:30 p.m.

—Eileen Kinsella

Jac Lahav, RBG Mistletoe. Photo courtesy of BravinLee programs.

12. “Ho Hum All Ye Faithful” at BravinLee programs

For BravinLee’s third ornament-themed group show—the first two were in 1991 and 2007—the gallery has received contributions from a wide range of artists including Sophia Narrett, Erik Olson, and Rob Pruitt.

Location: BravinLee programs, 526 West 26th Street, Suite 211
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; contact gallery for holiday closures

—Sarah Cascone

Through Sunday, February 23, 2020

The New-York Historical Society, the Jerni Collection with Lowly Worm and Huckle Cat illustration, ©2019 the Richard Scarry Corporation.

13. “Holiday Express: All Aboard to Richard Scarry’s Busytown” at the New-York Historical Society

In celebration of the 100th birthday of Richard Scarry, the New-York Historical Society has revamped its annual Holiday Express exhibition of model trains to feature characters from the author and illustrator’s beloved Busytown.

Location: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at West 77th Street
Price: $21
Time: Tuesday–Thursday, Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; closing 3 p.m. December 24 and 31

—Sarah Cascone